A GLENDEVON woman has overcome her own personal heartache and loss to help fund life-saving equipment for her home estate.

Dot Taig led a successful fundraising campaign to install a portable defibrillator at the Glendevon Country Park, where she lives.

Last year, her husband Tom died from a heart attack and the dreadful experience helped her to reflect on her own health and the well-being of others.

Complete with the support of her daughter Sarah, a former personal trainer, Dot embarked on a mission to lose weight while raising money to fund the crucial piece of equipment.

Over the course of six months, she lost around five stone and, through sponsorships, was able to raise £750.

And in a final effort to secure the money needed, the bosses at Glendevon topped up the total to an even £1000.

Dot is proud of her efforts to fund the life-saving device, which she describes as a "a fantastic resource" that "will save lives".

She added: "I am delighted with my weight loss. It has been good to have something to focus on, and the fact I have raised such a good total has brought me a lot of comfort.

"My daughter gave me a circuit to complete every day with running up and down the hill, combined with squats, sit ups and weights. The other residents must have wondered what on earth I was doing, but I certainly stuck to it."

Dot is also a talented writer and often writes books about Glendevon Country Park which are "narrated" by her own dog character called MacDuff.

The project is another thing that keeps her busy, but the stories themselves have been well-received among fellow residents and park owner Chek Whyte.

Dot said: "Tom and I loved living here at Glendevon and I will continue living here as I have so many friends, and writing the books about the park and the history of the area totally absorbs me.

"I was delighted that Chek liked them so much. He and his team have become firm friends of mine and have created a lovely community feeling on the park."

Sarah, who is now a firefighter and is trained in the use of defibrillators, will now come to the park to demonstrate its use to the residents when the equipment is installed.

Mr Whyte, managing director with park owners Richmond Wight Estate, said: "We wanted to recognise Dot's fantastic efforts in raising this money in memory of her husband, and to try to help other residents at risk of heart attacks. It was our pleasure to contribute to this worthy cause.

"Dot is a long-standing resident here at Glendevon, a very popular and gutsy lady.

"We are all so proud of how she has coped with her bereavement. Her own weight loss is amazing, and she says that she feels like a new person."

A remote defibrillator is a piece of medical equipment which can offer immediate first aid to someone suffering from a heart attack.

It is used to treat someone who is in cardiac arrest by sending a high-energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall.

They are particularly useful to rural communities that are likely to experience longer waits for ambulances to arrive.

However, using a defibrillator in the minutes before paramedics arrives can double a patient's chances of survival.